A Most Dangerous Game
by ShockWaveWolf
Summary: Hiei's trust is broken, and he's lookin' for a place to lay low. His new hiding place however, is the stage for a whole new dual of hearts. KuwaHiei updated
1. Wounded and Running

A Most Dangerous Game

Wounded and Running

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters.  

Author's Note:  Back by absence of homework, another Kuwa/Hiei fic.  This one will hopefully be done by next Sunday.  Hehe… wishful thinking I know…  Please R&R!

            Hiei wanted to run, he wanted to run so much, but he wouldn't.  He had worked hard over the years, and learned to control his emotions.  He could feel Kurama watching him skeptically, as he walked slowly away.  Fighting the intense urge to bolt, Hiei did his best to swallow his humiliation and take it in stride.  He made it three blocks before the powerful instinct to hide began to make him shake.  Just slightly, but those strings of sanity began to quickly fray, and snap against the feral fear beating in him.

            So intent was he on binding his feelings, that he didn't notice as a familiar redhead slowly gained on him.  He barely kept himself from jumping ten feet, when Kuwabara called out to him.

            "Where ya headed, runt?"  He called tonelessly.  Something about the fire demon caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise… more than usual.  This dimmed his courage a little as he hackled his familiar foe.

            "None of your business, Moron," Hiei snapped.  His fear and humiliation being pushed somewhere in the back of his mind while he dealt with the oaf.

            Kuwabara stiffened, pursing his lips in a less than amused fashion.  Hiei hadn't been so biting in a long while.  A little voice that warned 'danger!' was still niggled at the back of the taller boy's mind.  He snorted, then ignoring his better judgment remarked, "Just askin', humph.  Don't get your panties in a bunch."

            Despite popular belief, Hiei was no stranger to human culture.  He was after all, at least a couple of centuries old.  Most recently he'd developed a particular fluency in human insults.  He shot Kuwabara a withering glare, "Do you want to _die_ stupid?"

            Kuwabara huffed, the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up again.  Seeing the human's discomfort brought Hiei mild amusement.  Now walking side by side, the two exchanged less than friendly barbs. Kuwabara carefully softened the insults aimed at the disturbed demon.  The sun was starting to set, bringing Kuwabara's mind back to his initial question.  "So," Kuwabara started in a more conversational tone, "Where are ya off to?"

            "Hn," was the emotionless reply.  The wound that had been momentarily subdued, resurfaced, and began gnawing ferociously at Hiei again.  He quickly hid his troubles under the usual detached mask.  "Nowhere," he muttered searching for an escape.  Relief temporarily flooded his being, when he spotted sanctuary in a small neighborhood park.  Without a word to Kuwabara, he jumped into the park and disappeared.

            Kuwabara stopped shortly, growling to the now absent, Hiei before continuing on his way.  Part of him was grateful to be free, of the dangerous aura surrounding the demon.  The other part however, was still nervous about what caused that aura, and what the effect would be.  Pushing the thought from his mind, he whistled tunelessly, resuming the walk alone.  

            Ten yards away, Hiei bounded up a tree, into a familiar protected crevice.  He checked quickly, but thoroughly for any sign of an enemy.  Finally sure of his safety, he settled into the crook of the tree, and at last allowed himself to drop his mask.  While he had too much pride to allow his front to fall completely, the weight of what had just happened to him tore at his restraints.  He trembled ever so slightly, as he relived the most humiliating moment of his long life, in his head.  Each detailed memory, seemed as though it were etched with acid into his being.

            Hiei was searching, combing his mind for any sign that he'd had this coming.  While he inspected these details, the sun fell lower over the horizon.  The shadows of the serene, friendly park deepened, stretching out sinisterly as night came to rule.  Still the only answer Hiei could find was that he should not have trusted Him.  He should have listened to his first impulses, to his past experiences, and not trusted.  Now the fire demon lie in the coming darkness, cursing yet another scar forming on his heart.

            ****End Chapter 1****

Author's Note:  I _Will_ finish this one before May comes around!  I don't know how long it's gonna be, but by… whatever, I will.

            Also, I'm pretty sure you know who the one who hurt Hiei is.  The sneaky fox, Kurama.  I give credit for the idea to Rose Thorne, because it had never occurred to me before I read her fan fic, _Suicide_.


	2. An unexpected Opportunity

Unexpected Opportunity

Disclaimer:  I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters.

Author's Note:  The first chapter was really short I know.  This one will be longer, and a little more depthful.  If that's a word…

            Hiei awoke with a start, with all of his senses on alert.  The night was cold, and he was still curled in the nook of the tree, but that wasn't all.  An all too familiar ki was nearing his hiding place.  'What are you doing Kurama?'  Hiei wondered as he quickly gathered himself, and leapt from the tree, to a safer vantage.  Hiding his ki as best as he could, Hiei waited for the fox to enter his view.

            Kurama's voice reached his ears before he could see the fox.  "Damn it!  He knows we're here."  Cursing?  No, this was a trick.  Hiei recoiled further from the fox, not wanting to be detected at all costs.  Using every piece of concealment knowledge he'd learned over the years, Hiei managed to all but erase his presence.

            Another voice, carried recklessly into the night, "What are we doing out here, Kurama?"  The tired male voice clearly stated its owner's loathing for the late night excursion.

            A little too loudly, and a little too emotionally, Kurama replied, "We _have_ to find Hiei!"  The over acted concern made Hiei's skin crawl.  "Who knows what he might do to himself?"  'As if I'd give you the satisfaction!'  Hiei thought viciously.  His defenses wavered for less than a moment, but it was enough to bring him back to reality.  This was just a plan to get him to show himself.  'Tricky fox,' Hiei thought with a little admiration.

            Yusuke replied something unintelligible to Hiei.  Kurama however, was apparently bothered by the comment.  He whirled on Yusuke, only to get an annoyed stare from his partner in crime.  "Am I right?"  The raven-haired fighter queried.

            Kurama huffed, not replying.  Standing for another few moments, emerald eyes scanned every detail of the area for any trace of the demon.  Sighing he motioned for Yusuke to turn around so they could leave.  As Hiei listened to their retreating forms, he still refused to move until they were well out of the park.  Kurama had sharp ears, and a sharper wit.  It was easy to get caught in the carefully set traps, Kurama always seemed to have in place.

            Hiei refused to move, even as he knew they were gone.  His mind was working out places where he could hide.  There was no place he could go, that the fox wouldn't know to look for him.  Also, he was still technically on parole, so he couldn't go anywhere secret in the demon world.  Carefully contemplating his possibilities, his heart sank.  The hassle was almost not worth avoiding Kurama for.

            It would after all, be only a little disquieting, for the Kurama to not know where he was for a while.  Still, since it was the only revenge that would be effective as of now. The opportunity was hard to pass up.  Hiei brooded still, slowly dropping his shields.  One place came to mind, but he frowned at the thought.

            Kuwabara's house might be the last place Kurama would think to look for him, but it was the last place he wanted to go.  The thought of even sharing the same space with the human made Hiei shudder involuntarily.  He'd only been in the Kuwabara household a few times, and even then a very short time indeed.  While he didn't truly avoid the human's presence as much anymore, being within closed walls with him was not an option.

Hiei sighed.  All of that speculation was assuming that Kuwabara was going to allow him to stay.  If there was anything in the universe that Hiei was sure he could count on, was the shared animosity between himself and the taller boy.  It was assured that Kuwabara would not accept the Hiei, for while power levels differed, egos were about the same.  Hiei snorted, happily assured that he was at least correct in his own self-evaluation.

The third problem lie in how the human would handle lying to his friends.  There were a few character traits Hiei could expect from Kuwabara.  One, that he was stupid, two, that he was honest, and three, that he was utterly self-righteous.  All of these things stacked up high against the demon's hope for confidentiality.  Burying his face in his hands, Hiei went over alternatives one more time.  It was quick, because there weren't any.

Not liking gods very much, he didn't bother to pray to anyone for help.  Even if nothing short of a miracle would pull this off, miracles just didn't happen to him.  As cautiously as he could possibly manage, he slipped out of the woods and toward the general direction of Kazuma Kuwabara's house.

~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~-~~

            The human in question was also up late that night.  The feeling of the dark aura that had been following Hiei had not left him yet, disallowing sleep of any kind.  The only sound was the scratching of his pen against paper, as he carved his emotions into the paper.  He'd never been a very articulate person, words seemed to get jumbled so badly when he talked.  Thus his vocabulary, though limited, suited him just fine for socializing.  Yet, when writing, there was no sound, no quavering in the voice to obstruct what is trying to be said.  When the words put themselves to paper, even the most ridiculous statement could make sense.

            He had volumes of these small journals.  Books of poetry basically, since he wasn't much for talking to himself.  They kept him sane, most of the time.  Of course, sanity was all relative anyway.

            As the cryptic symbols were etched onto the rough paper, they would register and transform into sounds, words and ideas.  Currently, and more often than not, these spoke of a certain fire demon.  The frown on Kuwabara's angular face deepened, as the thoughts continued to pour out.  There was a puzzle to solve, and he wasn't sure he could do it.  The dark aura he now understood, had been a burden of pain that Hiei carried.  Kazuma clenched the pen in his teeth as he reached over his bed, and fumbled for more of his books.  He couldn't solve this puzzle without a few more clues, he was sure, though he didn't know what to look for.

            He managed to grab three books, containing information on the demon.  Over the two years he had known Hiei, the short demon had begun to fill his thoughts, dreams, and journals.  He wasn't altogether certain of the information he had at hand, but he had a hunch there was something in his books that could help him.  

            Flipping open the red book, dated the year before he had met the demon, he skipped to the end.  He had long memorized where his writings of Hiei were, having analyzed his own addiction many times.  Ready to study hard, though he didn't know what he was studying for, Kazuma was interrupted by a rather sudden realization.

            The realization came as Hiei slid his bedroom window open, making a swishing noise in the process.  Perplexed, and a little shocked by being unable to sense the Hiei's ki, all Kazuma could do was stare at the fire demon who now crouched in his window.  Fear gripped at Kuwabara's chest as he realized the books were well within the demon's view, and the contents of the open pages were at best, questionable.  

            Never taking his eyes from Hiei, Kuwabara snapped the book his was holding shut, and gathered the rest of his things.  Through all of this, Hiei just stared straight back at him, as though waiting for something.  Finally, when fear quit gripping the cogs in Kuwabara's mind so much, he realized what the demon wanted.  He gestured for Hiei to enter, with a wave of his hand.  Without further hesitation the demon dropped through the window, neatly landing on the floor.  He quickly shut the window behind him, and Kuwabara wondered just how long Hiei intended this meeting to be.

            "I have a favor to ask, human" the demon began, after he'd turned to face Kuwabara.  Kazuma just barley managed to burry a laugh behind a cough.  'A favor,' he thought, 'well, that's rich.'

            "I need to stay here for a while," he continued evenly.  Then looking sideways slightly, he amended, "I need to hide here for a while."

            Kuwabara was glad he was sitting in bed, because if he'd been standing he might have collapsed.  Everything about Hiei seemed serious, yet it didn't seem quite right.  Kuwabara pulled his knees up, carefully avoiding the storm like dark aura that threatened to engulf both of them.

            "Hiding from what?"  He asked, a mix of joy and apprehension fluttering in his chest.  Hiei had come to _him_ for help.  'Ah, the gods must finally be on my side' he thought inwardly.

            "Kurama, and Yusuke."  The demon stated flatly.  His happy bubble having been cruelly burst, Kuwabara tried not to look as crestfallen as he felt. 

            "Why?" He asked, and then immediately regretted the question.  The dark aura flared suddenly, causing pins and needles to run down his spine.  

            "I-I mean," he stammered quickly, sweat dropping, "I-It's nothing illegal right?"  He managed the question putting his hands up defensively.

            The aura receded, and a slight smile lit Hiei's face.  "No, nothing like that.  It's more, personal" The dark shadow flared slightly at the word 'personal,' and Kuwabara managed a small smile and nod.  

            "Huh," Kuwabara grunted as he slid off his bed, and tossed the books in the general direction of their hiding place.  "Well, we don't have a guest room here, so you have two choices," he stated matter-of-factly.  "The bed, or the floor."  He left a stunned Hiei in the room while he traveled out into the hall to get extra blankets and pillows.  Upon his return he dropped the contents of the closet on the floor, and looked expectantly at Hiei, who hadn't moved.

            "The bed, or the floor," Kuwabara repeated clearly.  Hiei simply stared at him.

            "Why are you doing this for me?"  Hiei inquired dubiously.

            "Why?  Oh, I suppose," he began as he shuffled industriously around with the blankets on the floor, " It's 'cause I like you so much."  He grinned broadly when Hiei snorted.

            "I'm serious, human," Hiei insisted, an edge creeping into his voice.  He was taken aback when Kuwabara laughed softly.

            "It's not like I had much of a choice is it?"  He had finished making the haphazard bed on the floor.  "Now make you're choice shrimp, or I'll choose for you."

            "Hn," Hiei stated as he sat on the edge of the bed.  Kuwabara watched in mild interest as Hiei removed his boots and jacket before crawling under the covers.  He noted the ragged tank top, and wondered if Hiei had any other cloths.

            Kuwabara flicked off the light before removing his own shirt and pants.  He crawled under the covers, feeling Hiei's eyes, watching his every move.  It was uncomfortable, and a little disheartening to feel those red eyes bore through him.  'Eh, the gods must be crazy,' Kuwabara thought to himself as he fell into an awkward slumber.

****End Chapter 2****

Redragon:  You may be asking why I chose to pick on Kurama, but I'm not.  This is just the most recent idea that has popped into my head, and I'll definitely be able to get through this one with out the plot problems that I had in "Cherries."  Why?  Because this time I have a plan!  ^^;       


	3. Loading

Loading

Disclaimer:  I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho… 

Author's Note:  I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…  I really don't have a good excuse for not updating… I was just procrastinating…  Anyway, on with the fic… 

            Hiei tried to stay alert with both eyes open in this new situation.  He was finding it hard however, to keep just one eye open.  The bed smelled lightly of cologne, shampoo, human, and laundry detergent.  The heady mix of these smells was making his eyelids feel like lead weights.  Usually he couldn't stand the smell of humans, or he told himself that.  But as he drifted off reluctantly to sleep, he mused that this smell wasn't nearly so bad.

            Hiei slept deeply, his body finally receiving the rest it had demanded for so long.  He was too exhausted to be bothered with dreams, nightmarish or otherwise.  His breathing became shallow and even, and he snuggled deeper into Kuwabara's covers.  For the first time in a long time, Hiei was completely oblivious to the world around him.

~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~

            Kuwabara on the other hand, did not have the blessing of a dreamless slumber.  He fidgeted at every sound, and even when he finally drifted into sleep, it wasn't pleasant.  

            Kuwabara was running through a multicolor forest, oranges, yellows and reds glaring out of the flora.  Neither this, nor the conspicuous turtle riding on his head were attributed to this being a dream yet.  He continued to run after his furry black target, which darted and disappeared in the undergrowth.  Why he was chasing the fuzzy black kitten, he didn't know.  All he knew was that it was direly important to catch the speedy creature.

            After chasing it for what seemed like hours, Kuwabara lost sight of his prey.  He slowed panting for breath as he scanned the area.  His target nowhere in site, he sat down dejectedly at the base of a tree.  He was still not perturbed by the little blue turtle, which had somehow managed to remain on his head.

            Yellow words were scrawled up the red trunks of impossibly large trees.  Every time he tried to read one, it would swirl around into something else.  He was working so hard to comprehend this that he only belatedly heard the thudding of furred feet scurrying in his direction.  His dark eyes widened as he realized his former prey was blazing a path straight for him.  

            He stood so quickly, that he nearly dislodged the turtle.  He felt his heart jump in his chest, indecision locking his legs in place.  Alternating fear and joy at this 180 in attitude played with Kuwabara's being.  That is before the furry black kitting decided to claw its way up his leg, and into his shirt.  The tender creature trembled almost cutely as its sharp claws embedded themselves in Kazuma's soft flesh.  The fresh blood trickling down his abdomen was only a second thought, as he heard another set of feet rushing in his direction.

            He felt he knew who it was long before the form cleared the dense trees.  And sure enough, a red, menacing fox sprung from the shadows and landed neatly before him.  Even Kuwabara knew the meaning of the red canine.  It didn't take long before a large, black, chocolate-eyed hound followed him in.  It took Kuwabara a moment to recognize this beast.  By this time Kurama was already in human form, and oddly enough dressed like some criminal from Cyber City.  Sure enough, the demon fox pulled a large magnum from his holster, and pointed it at Kuwabara's head.

            The turtle now deemed Kazuma's head a place no longer safe, and somehow managed to fly off.  It was about _this_ time that Kuwabara realized he was dreaming.

            "Where is he?"  Kurama's voice sounded unnaturally cruel and cold.  It caused a shiver to run up Kuwabara's spine, and back down again.  The 'he' in question dug his claws deeper into Kazuma's flesh.

            "I don't know what you're talking about," Kuwabara stated evenly.  Even _his_ voice didn't seem right.  The sounds echoed around in the alternate dimension, giving this world a totally surreal feeling.  

            The black being which had until this moment remained silent, inhaled deeply into its large nostrils.  The intake of air causing Kuwabara's shirt to ruffle, and fear to grip him tightly.

            "Fibber, fibber," the canine like muzzle curled back into a sneer.  Rows of sharp teeth gleamed nastily.

            "Well then," Kurama sighed, pulling the hammer back with an audible click.  "You have ten seconds."

            Kuwabara's hackles went up, and he clenched his teeth.  "Never!"  He said bravely.

            "One, two," Kurama looked bored, "Ten!"  He snarled, and a world shattering bang was the last thing our hero heard.   

~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~

            Kuwabara bolted upright in his makeshift bed.  Cold sweat covered his body in a slick film, and caused him to shiver.  His ears picked up the probable source of the bang.  His sister had just entered the house, and was staggering, either sleepily or drunkenly toward her room.  He thought the latter rather maliciously, but got up to greet her anyway.  It was only eleven in the morning, he reasoned to himself.

            Shizuru didn't make it to her room, before she plopped down on the futon at the base of the stairs.  She sighed heavily, and draped her arm across her eyes.  Kuwabara made his way down the stairs as quietly as possible, and eyed his collapsed sister.  He momentarily regretted thinking she was drunk, but the feeling quickly passed.

            "Hey little brother," she drawled sleepily.  She managed to move her arm for a moment to look at her brother, before covering her eyes again.  Kuwabara sighed, and shook his head.

            "I'll get you upstairs," he offered.  She scoffed.

            "I can sleep out here," she murmured.  Shizuru didn't miss her brother's shudder at the comment.  "Oh, quit being such a baby!"  She moaned.  "It was a long time ago."

            "And I never want to see it again," Kuwabara stated clearly.  Shizuru found herself in a giggle fit.  Her brother could be so weird sometimes.  

            "Fine," she said sitting up, "but you'll have to carry me."

            "But you're so…"  Kuwabara trailed off as his retort was cut short by Shizuru's death glare.  It wasn't fair that she have all the fun.  He sulked a little as he lifted her up.  It took all his will power not to 'oof' just to make her mad, as he carried her.

            "So strong," she teased.

            "Shut up, you're making us both look bad."

            As they passed Kazuma's room, Shizuru raised an eyebrow.  "Why is Hiei here?"  Kuwabara didn't have to ask how she knew Hiei was there even with the door closed.

            "He wants something," Kuwabara murmured, more to himself than to his sister.

            "In what way?"  She half laughed.  Her younger brother's eyes silenced an elaboration on her thoughts.

            "In the way that if Kurama, or Yusuke call," he began solemnly, "he's not here."  Shizuru looked shocked for a moment, but nodded.

            "You shouldn't get too involved in this," she warned her little brother.  Her tone was 'why do I have to tell you everything?' but it held a concerned note.

            Kuwabara smiled, not able to conceal the bitterness of it.  "Sorry Sis," he drawled, "I'm already too far to turn back."

            Shizuru shook her head before Kazuma dropped her on her bed.  She grabbed his arm as he tried to leave.  He looked back at her, his dark eyes clouded.  "This might not turn out the way you want," she warned softly.

            "I know," he said, shaking her hand loose.  He closed the door behind him quietly, and his sister stared after him.

            "Do you really?"  She wondered aloud.

****End Chapter 3****

            Hahahahahahaha…  Yeah, well ya know those annoying loading scenes you get when you play the Play Station?  This is like that right?  Thanks for the reviews.


	4. Playing by the Rules

Playing by the Rules

Disclaimer: If you've come this far, you know I don't own Yu yu Hakusho or any of its characters…

Author's Note:  Hey Hey all!  It's been a while hasn't it ^^  If this is chapter four already, or finally ^^;  Just know that I much appreciate the comments, and the occasional constructive criticisms…  Now on with the FIC!!

It takes a serious kind of suckage to describe how I feel right now.  I end up right where I started from again.  Fucking square one again.  This isn't anything new, it shouldn't surprise me.  But it does.  I knew this would happen, it happened, and I'm still surprised that it did.  

_            And on top of it all, here I am.  Retreating, hiding, walling myself in the protection of a human.  A human I hate, I might add.  I hate his stupidity, I hate his weakness, hate his fucking guts.  Every time he goes off on one of those self-righteous rants, I want to vomit.  How can he stomach it?  Honor, dishonor, loyalty, trust, love…  Romantic ideals, nothing more._

_            That's why I'm here.   Fallen on a quest for love, true love.  I wonder if it would surprise them, and maybe that's why I fail.  Every time, I fail.  This is the worst fall I've taken in a long time though.  I never felt so sure of something before, and it's just been so neatly cut away.  I hate you Kurama, and all the little games you play._

_            I had the offer of a lifetime, or so I thought.  Two months ago, Kurama offered me a place to stay, permanently.  I had known a long time about the implications of our relationship.  Particularly the implications of that offer.  He wasn't offering as a friend, a boyfriend, or even a lover.  He was offering as a companion, I had finally found someone to be with.  Or so I thought._

_            Yes, I hesitated.  Of course I hesitated, I knew this would happen.  The point is, I decided to take him up on that offer.  And when I did well… I'll put it this way, apparently the whole soul mate thing, is over rated.  It's a limited time offer, and I had missed it.  Not only had I missed it apparently, someone else had also taken it in my place.  Yuusuke, Urameshi._

_            What's to say now?  The usual betrayal of trust and all that right?  Pack it up, this game's over.  You lose again Hiei.  Go through the whys, the wherefores and all that other self-indulgent bullshit that I usually skip over.  I shouldn't give a flying damn one way or the other right?  Nothing affects _me_ right?  Feh.  Try living alone sometime.  And I don't mean alone, have a boyfriend now and then, but no one serious.  I mean really alone.  I mean with nobody to trust, to lean on.  I bet you couldn't last two years, well how about two centuries?  How about being completely unwanted for three or four human lifetimes.  You'd want some one too!_

_            I was angry… No, I was royally pissed.  It was all I could do not to cut them both to pieces.  Mortified Kurama, and confused Yuusuke, were close, so very close to being diced remnants of their former selves.  What stopped me?  Well it wasn't friendship, or even the consequences I'd face for killing them.  Because Kurama reached around and protected Yuusuke, because of the way Kurama held Yuusuke, because Kurama _loved _Yuusuke, and not me.  The fire that had been burning with rage in my chest went out cold.   I was left knowing that killing them would do nothing to assuage my loneliness.  _

_            It's depressing when you know nothing you do can possibly change your situation.  It's hard seeing others enjoy something you know you'll never have.  I left them then, not waiting to see if my emotions would betray me.  I don't think my face changed an iota during whole ordeal.  Go me._

_            Now I'm back to where I started from again.  Fucking square one again…_

**Zizzt~zt blip* #@$%!!!**

::End strange First Person, Stream of Conscientiousness Writing.  Return to third person recount format::

*Taiho trudges off stage wishing she were a better writer…*

            Kuwabara sat across from his former rival in a state of pure bemusement.  He'd been practically shaking when Yuusuke had asked him to come to the park down the street.  Yet, they had been there almost an hour, and nothing was said about Hiei.  Kuwabara was actually enjoying himself, since it had been a long time since he and Yuusuke had talked like this.

            He also noted belatedly, that it had been a long time since he and Yuusuke had been this close… physically.  How the hell Yuusuke had encroached on his personal space Kuwabara didn't know.  That Yuusuke was practically sprawled across his lap now however, did present a peculiar problem.

            "Yuusuke?"  The redhead queried.  The darker haired boy smiled alluringly in response, twisting his hand in Kuwabara's shirt.  It was frightening how he was acting, but pretty fun too.  "Does Kurama know you're here?"

            "No," Yuusuke replied lazily, splaying his fingers over Kuwabara's bare abdomen beneath his shirt.  "He's out hunting around for Hiei."  _That's right Kazuma,_ Kuwabara chided himself, _true love waits at your house._  That was not enough to convince his body that this wasn't good though.  Kuwabara looked around frantically for some one to catch them and shame him out of reacting to Yuusuke's touch.  There was no such luck, as they were well concealed from anyone else beneath this tree.

            Kuwabara managed to intercept the hand before it traveled south, but he was already panting.  "I doubt Kurama would care for this," Kazuma practically pleaded.  He didn't know what Yuusuke's motives were, but he was pretty sure the outcome would not be good.  He was in deep enough if Kurama found him harboring Hiei, let alone sleeping with his boyfriend.

            Yuusuke chuckled in response; the husky sound sent a shiver down Kuwabara's spine.  "No, I'm sure he wouldn't," Yuusuke purred.  There was an aggravated, almost bitter tone to the 'he' in the sentence.

            "Look Yuusuke," Kuwabara ordered, trying to keep his voice even.  "I don't know what game you an Kurama are playing," he managed to push the darker youth away, "but don't want to be involved."  

            Yuusuke grabbed the taller boy's wrist, refusing to give up so easily.  "Just do me a favor," Yuusuke pleaded sounding annoyed.  "Kurama's not making me look like an idiot, and getting away with it."

            "What now?"  Kuwabara managed to twist out of Yuusuke's grasp, only to be tackled a moment later.  He wrestled with Yuusuke for a while, caught of guard by the shorter boy's aggression.  He had a very, very bad feeling about all of this.

            "Kazuma," Yuusuke purred, having pinned the redhead firmly to the ground.  "It's nothing personal," he soothed, Kuwabara growled menacingly in response.  Yuusuke tilted his head to the side, "Why not?"

            "I'm not going to be used," Kuwabara snarled, "for any reason."  He rolled free of Yuusuke's grip, and stood brushing the grass from himself.  "Though I don't see how Kurama would be threatened by me."

            Yuusuke laughed bitterly, "You really have no idea?"  Kuwabara paused, staring at his best friend, who grinned arrogantly from the ground.  "Kurama is extremely jealous of you."

            It was Kuwabara's turn to laugh bitterly.  "I think you must be smokin' something besides cigarettes," he sneered, "if you think Kurama would be jealous of me."

            Yuusuke continued to grin, "Maybe physically, or intellectually…"  Yuusuke's smile became a little cruel, "but he envies our relationship."  Kuwabara made a face, as Yuusuke continued, "he figures we fuck every time I'm at your house."

            Kuwabara looked unconvinced, "Why would he think that, when you've got him?"  

            At this point Yuusuke was laughing hard.  "That's what drives him mad," Yuusuke said catching his breath.  "I've told him that a million times- no offence Kuwa,"

            "None taken," Kuwabara assured him…  It wasn't true, but not everything he said had to be _absolutely_ true.

            "And the thinks because we are so close," Yuusuke finished, "that it translates over to sex."  Kuwabara digested this quietly for a moment.  It was an interesting piece of news, but it didn't explain why Yuusuke was suddenly so willing to prove Kurama right.

            "I would think," Kuwabara drawled with a hint of indignation, "that 'since we're so close' you wouldn't pull something like this on me."  Yuusuke had the decency to at least look ashamed, though Kuwabara wasn't sure if he meant it or not.  The statement would at least discourage future attempts of seduction at any rate.  "I can assume," Kuwabara started a little tiredly, "you're getting back at Kurama for… something."  Kuwabara left the sentence open ended.

            "I think Kurama has been cheating on me," Yuusuke said quietly, "with Hiei."  Kuwabara gaped a little.  So all this crap comes full circle, he mused, and I'm up to my knees in it.

            "You're not sure?"  Kuwabara queried.  Yuusuke was silent for such a long time; Kuwabara wasn't sure whether he'd heard the question.

            "I don't know," the dark haired boy sighed.  There was a hint of hurt in his voice, just a little hint, but it was enough for Kuwabara to notice it.  He sat down next to his friend again, not sure what to do.  Giving advice could cut either way, since he had the focal point of the situation hiding at his house.

            "I was over at Kurama's yesterday," Yuusuke explained, "and we were…" he looked at Kuwabara who nodded understanding, "and then Hiei shows up.  That wouldn't have been so bad, accept he looked so shocked.  He was looking from Kurama to me, with murder practically written on his face.  Then he walks out, and Kurama jumps up after him."

            Kuwabara raised an eyebrow, and Yuusuke nodded.  "I made him get some cloths on before he went after Hiei.  I…  We agreed that we were together," Yuusuke sighed.

            "Did you talk to him about it?"  Kuwabara offered softly.

            "I can't," Yuusuke admitted, in an agonized voice.  "He was playing both sides," he began, "and I don't know which he really wants to be on…"  '_I don't know if he really wants me,'_ went unspoken.

            Kuwabara wanted to say something about not being able to 'play' Hiei.  Hiei wasn't that blind, or that stupid.  He bit his tongue however, as he looked at his best friend.  Yuusuke wasn't that blind or stupid either.  Kurama had been clever, and Kuwabara couldn't blame Hiei for not trusting either Kurama, or Yuusuke.  If he were Hiei, he wouldn't want to run into Yuusuke either…  Too much weirdness right now.

            Kuwabara also knew that Yuusuke wandering around trying to get back at Kurama wasn't going to help things for either of them.  He also quelled this piece of advice.  He'd have to ask Hiei what had been going on, if Kurama really had been cheating, before he said anything to Yuusuke.  Kuwabara figured that this emotional distraction would take the heat off of him for a while, and he really didn't want to send Yuusuke in not knowing what the outcome would be.

            "I don't know what to say," Kuwabara half lied.  Yuusuke looked up at him, for some sort of help.  Buckling under his immense guilt, Kuwabara managed an encouraging smile.  "If I figure something out, I'll let you know."  

            "Thanks," Yuusuke smiled, relief in his voice.  "I'm sorry 'bout earlier," he said softly.  

            "Don't worry about it," Kuwabara barely maintained his false smile.  All of this was just making him feel worse about lying.  It was a lot harder to lie straight faced to some one that trusts you, than he had originally thought.  He sighed heavily as he left the park to head home, glad he didn't do this all the time.  It would probably kill him.

~~~~-~~~~-~~~~-~~~~

            Kuwabara returned home about one o' clock.  Shizuru had already left for her day job, so he fumbled for his keys to unlock the door.  Once inside, he lingered downstairs for a while, wondering how he'd gotten into this mess.  It was simple enough.  The object of his heart's desire had slid into his room last night, and asked to stay.  It wasn't like he was gonna say 'no.'

            He wandered reluctantly upstairs, wanting to check on Hiei.  He opened the door slowly, incase Hiei was asleep or something.  He wasn't.  The fire demon was sitting cross-legged on the bed, reading one of Kuwabara's books.  Red eyes shifted from what he was reading to Kuwabara.  They flickered slightly as the recognized him as 'just the oaf' and returned to reading whatever the book was.

            Kazuma simply gaped at the small form on the bed.  Hiei was wearing on of _his_ shirts.  Suffice it to say, it was much too big, the fabric hung loosely all about the demon.  It was a T-shirt, but the sleeves easily reached three quarters of the way down Hiei's arms.  The color was hung loosely around his collarbones, revealing the sharp contours of Hiei's neck and shoulders.  He was also wearing a pair of Kuwabara's drawstring boxers, which were more like baggy shorts.  Kuwabara had hated those kinds of boxers until now.  Any and all remorse he had harbored for allowing Hiei to stay had flown out the window at that moment.

            Hiei looked up sharply, having felt Kuwabara's dark eyes on him.  Kuwabara paled slightly in response, though Hiei didn't seem to notice.  "This wasn't my idea," he stated coldly, gesturing to the cloths.  "Your sister ticked me into taking a shower, then stole my cloths."  Kuwabara stifled a snicker, and Hiei snorted.

            "Sleep well?"  Kuwabara inquired walking over to his desk.  He'd meant to sound mocking, but a kinder emotion slipped in instead.  With his back to Hiei, he couldn't see the demon blush slightly at the question.

            "Hn."  Hiei managed, getting his feelings back under control.  When Kuwabara turned back around, he decided to change the focus of their dialogue.  "Where were you?"

            Kuwabara smiled.  "Why?"  His grin broadened, "You miss me shrimp?"

            Hiei snorted "I don't know what makes you this stupid, but it really works."

            Kuwabara feigned hurt, "That one really cut deep."  He was well used to Hiei's remarks about being stupid by now.  They would play 'the dozens' all the time, to see who could come up with the most insults before the day was over.  Hiei looked unimpressed, an almost like he would play.  Instead he returned to the book he'd been so avidly reading.

            "I was talking with Yuusuke," Kuwabara said, a hint of 'I know something you don't,' in his voice.  Hiei managed not to snap to attention at the words, though he was looking up intensely at the tall youth.  Kuwabara watched as the aura around the demon changed again, the dark cloud surfacing, flashes of apprehension playing across it as well.

            "Apparently he and Kurama are having serious relationship trouble."  Hiei looked shocked for a minute, which surprised Kuwabara.

            "You knew about their…"  There was a long pause as realization dawned, anger now lining the dark aura.  "About their 'relationship?'"  Hiei accused.

            Kuwabara quickly threw his hands up in defense, "Yuusuke told me at the beginning," he pleaded.  "I didn't know you _didn't _know."  

            Hiei looked suspicious, "Why would Yuusuke tell _you_?" 

            Kuwabara figured he had the right to look offended, so he did.  "Because I'm his best friend!"

            Hiei was silent for a moment, his face unreadable.  "You don't mind?"  Hiei seemed a little surprised.

            "Mind what," Kuwabara asked confused.

            "Mind that your best friend is attracted to other men," Hiei stated clearly.  Kuwabara looked indignant again, though he noted their conversation was getting off track.

            "Why would I mind _that_?"  He narrowed his eyes at the demon, "It's not like I'm phobic or anything."

            Hiei shrugged in reply, "You've made plenty of references that seemed to point the other direction."  Hiei was referring to the common insults that Kuwabara had often.  Hiei smirked when Kuwabara's face turned bright red.  He looked like he'd gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar, after saying he didn't like cookies.

            "Well… ah," Kuwabara stammered trying to regain his dignity.

            Hiei waved him off, having enjoyed his victory.  "In any case," the demon persisted, "what about them not getting along right now?"  He was _very_ interested in that.

            "Yuusuke is angry that, well, he thinks you and Kurama were… and so he's mad and he wants to get back at Kurama for…"  Kuwabara stammered, trying to avoid the whole 'cheating' subject, not sure how Hiei would react.

            Hiei actually looked thoughtful.  The dark aura remained its relative shape and size.

"He doesn't know that Kurama and I weren't sleeping together?"  He inquired.  Kuwabara was shocked, and must have looked it, because Hiei chuckled.  "I'll admit Kurama lead me on, but we didn't do that…"  Hiei paused, _not that you wouldn't right?  _Kuwabara clenched his jaw, feeling extremely jealous.  Hiei was too busy thinking to notice.

            "No," Kuwabara admitted, "he won't talk to Kurama, since…" he figured he didn't have to finish the sentence.

            "Well," Hiei looked a little amused, "That _is _interesting."  It was at this point that Kuwabara realized things weren't 'over' for Hiei and Kurama.  He wanted to scream at Hiei that Kurama had lied to him, embarrassed him…  But Hiei already knew that.  He didn't try to pretend that Kurama wasn't gorgeous enough to fight over; so standing by was out of the question.

            Making a mental note on what the penance should be for tipping fate's scales, he decided to have a thorough talk with Yuusuke later.  Hiei still had too much pride to go running back to the fox just yet.  Kuwabara had to find a time to convince Yuusuke to talk to Kurama, and patch things up before Hiei was able to get to Kurama first.  The only consolation Kuwabara had for himself, was the universal rule that all was fair in love… Otherwise this could be very mean, and _well_ out of his honor code's boundaries.


	5. The Glitch

The Glitch

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is copyrighted to Yoshihiro Togashi.  Thus, I do not own any of it.

Author's not: Ah… It's been a while… So, how is everyone doing?  I hope you're doing better than me, because I swear this chapter is jinxed.  I shouldn't have titled it "Glitch" I think it lead to all the problems I've been having, saving, changing, and uploading for the past three days… yes… Anyway, read and hopefully enjoy.

Hiei had been born and raised in an eternal world.  It was a harsh world, but a constant one.  To always know that it had been, and forever would be ruthless was a comfort; not like this world.  It was soft sometimes, and unforgiving the next moment.  This world, which was beautiful, terrible and completely finite.  The turning of the clock could be felt in everything.  

The sun was setting on the second day.  Fiery red fingers retreated into the west, casting an orange haze on everything they touched.  Hiei sat in the window gazing at it all.  Retreating so fast, that he could see it happening.  The speed at which things changed here amazed him.  It seemed that nothing that the humans fast paced world touched, could withstand being changed.  

            Kurama had been changed.  He'd grown to know both life eternal and fleeting.  Thus there was now Suiichi and Kurama.  Neither the cruel, unforgiving fox that Hiei had known so many years ago, nor the beautiful, innocent human existed anymore.  The fox now lived in both worlds, but was truly a part of neither.

'Yuusuke must be like that now,' Hiei thought.  He too had grown up in the impermanent world, expecting the limited life span that all his fellow humans shared.  Yet the rare second chance he had been given when he was fourteen, had opened a path to what most humans dream of… immortality.  Hiei doubted that the once human realized what it meant to be immortal yet.  He'd lived too long in this world, where life and death were in constant balance.

Only the tip of the sun peeked over the houses in the distance now. The red fingers grasping anything they could desperately, but inevitably slipping away into darkness.  Hiei knew he should get out of the window, in case Kurama intended to visit the human.  He sighed softly.  It was a whispering sound that would never carry beyond his own ears.  It was only the second day, but it seemed so much longer.

The human's news bobbed in the back of his mind, but he put it off for later thinking.  He didn't need to rush into anything just yet.  His mind was still hazy from hours spent sleeping.  

Books on the human's desk caught his eye again.  He'd flipped through several of the paperbacks earlier.  There were volumes of heroic tales, encouraging the idiot's life long ideals of honor no doubt.  Hiei couldn't stomach the unbending self-control of the samurai, or the gallant figures of western knights.  Always living in bright blazing glory before toddling of to 'happily ever afters' and other such paradises.  Hiei glared at them in contempt, wondering where such a place existed.  In all his wanderings in all his years, he had never once stumbled upon such a place.  'Perhaps the humans' heaven,' he thought, 'he'd certainly never been there.'  Yet even that couldn't be as good as it sounded.

Finally near the bottom of the pile, his hand fell on a book very different from the others.  Its cover was dark, devoid of the vivid displays of brilliant justice triumphing over evil.  It was ridiculously thick as well, easily over a thousand pages.  The edges were worn, corners bent by the loving fingers of the reader.  This was a favorite book.  Skeptical at first, and doubting he could stand anything the moron loved so much for more than a moment. He opened to the first chapter, and then found himself engrossed in the tragic story.

There didn't seem to be anything in the book for Kuwabara.  The morbid tone suited Hiei's current state of mind, but the demon couldn't recall a time Kuwabara had spent in depression.  The demon quickly shoved the thought away.  He had never paid much attention to the human before anyway…

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            Shizuru listened to her baby-brother's news in silence.  As he finished, her calm expression was marred by a slight frown.  He gave out a frustrated sigh, gratefully taking the tea his sister offered.  He blew gently over the steaming liquid and eyed Shizuru wearily, as she took a seat across the.  

Shizuru lit a cigarette, an indication that neither of them was going anywhere for a while.  Kazuma recognized the situation, and shifted his chair as though he was about to leave.

"Sit," his older sister commanded simply.  The boy shifted back, head hanging a little.

            "Do we have to…" Shizuru waved off the rest of his sentence, and he prepared to be lectured.

"Come on little brother," Shizuru sighed.  "We can pretend to be a normal family every once in a while."  She winked at him before continuing, "So what did Hiei think of that?"

Kazuma shrugged, not particularly caring to divulge his feelings concerning the fire demon.  Shizuru tapped a finger impatiently, exhaling smoke through her teeth.  The redhead made a face.  "That stuff'll kill you ya know," he murmured.

"It'll kill you too if you stay here long enough," she retorted casually.  The redhead grimaced, but said nothing further.

"He was… happy to hear it," Kazuma said carefully.

"Because…?"  Shizuru goaded her younger brother.  It always took a while to get him to share with her willingly.

"Because he sees an opportunity in their lover's spat I'm sure."  Kuwabara growled, drumming his fingers in irritation.  Shizuru frowned.  Her little brother was hiding something from her.  It wasn't unlike him to keep things to himself, but usually she knew all his secrets before even he knew them.

"What are you planning?" She asked suspiciously.

"I don't know what you're talking about."  Her brother retorted.  Unlike his sister, Kazuma couldn't maintain the calm visage for long.

"I've lived with you for seventeen years Kazuma," Shizuru half laughed.  "Don't you think I know when you've got something on your mind."  Her little brother looked stunned for a moment, and Shizuru took pride in her small victory.

"He'll hear," Kazuma protested in a strained voice.

"So there _is_ a plan," she laughed quietly.  Her brother balked, and she continued.  "He won't listen as long as we talk at a normal level."  Shizuru put out her cigarette unceremoniously on a dirty plate.  "We're only a couple of humans after all."  Kuwabara made a face, but eventually conceded.

"I don't have a plan yet," the boy admitted, turning a little red.  Shizuru sighed and rolled her eyes.  Kuwabara ran a finger nervously around the edge of his empty cup.  "I need to hurry up and get Yuusuke and Kurama back together before they really break up, and-" Kazuma trailed off.

"And Kurama convinces Hiei to forgive him, and they go live happily ever after?"  Shizuru sighed irritably.  "Not likely."

"Not likely what?"  Kazuma asked defensively.  Shizuru paused a moment in thought.

"Not likely to either," Shizuru said finally, tapping a new cigarette on the table.  "The only two people with a harder head than you are Hiei and Yuusuke."  She laughed a little under her breath, "Once their mind is set in something, there's no changing it."

"I suppose you have better idea?"  Kazuma glanced sharply at this sister.  Her lack of faith was a little disheartening.

"Yes, actually I do," Shizuru replied calmly.  Kazuma's eyes widened, but he said nothing as he waited for his sister to finish.  Shizuru sighed, contemplating her second cigarette.  Her brother could be so dumb sometimes, especially when it came to love.  

"Leave it alone," she said.  

"What?"  Her brother blinked in surprise.

"Leave the situation alone," Shizuru stated clearly, emphasizing each word with a tap of her finger.

"B-but why?"  Kazuma's voice had a hurt quality.

"Because this situation is not good," Shizuru soothed in a soft voice.  "There are too many ways this could go wrong."  Shizuru put her hand on her brother's to prevent him from leaving.

"There is just too much you don't know," the brunette continued quietly.  "This just isn't your way.  Sneaking around…" the older girl smiled sadly, "You're just not very good at any of that."

"Shizuru…"

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            Hiei had finished the black book (speed reader), and was now looking for something else interesting to do.  The oaf had books hidden everywhere, and it was sort of a game to find something to read.  Having already gone through the desk drawers, and the shelves, he was drawn to a small mountain of books by the bed, or rather spilling out from under the bed.

Most of the books were comics and cheap novels.  Hiei sorted through until his hand came to a hard back.  Curiously, he pulled the small book from the pile and studied it.  It was red, with no title or author written anywhere.  This was certainly not a novel, but then what could it be?

Hiei had heard Kuwabara coming up the stairs, but it startled him when human spoke non-the-less.

"What are you doing?"  That was a tone Hiei knew all too well.  He'd done something wrong.  The demon turned around slowly and carefully to face Kuwabara.  The anger he saw, confirmed the human's tone.

"I was looking for something to read," Hiei said calmly, offering the red book.

"I can see that," Kuwabara grabbed the book, a little more roughly than he had to.  Hiei watched with interest as a strange look crossed the oaf's features.  'Perhaps it wasn't that I was looking through his things that upset him so much,' Hiei mused inwardly, 'as that I _found_ something he didn't want me to find.'

Hiei waited silently as Kuwabara shifted awkwardly in the long silence that followed.  Eventually the human sighed and walked over to his desk, shoving the red book into one of the top drawers.  Hiei leaned back against the wall, carefully noting where Kuwabara put the book.

            "I'd appreciate it if you didn't read those," the human muttered in a voice that didn't dare command, but didn't request either.  Hiei raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"Those?"  The demon parroted.  "As in more than one?"  Kuwabara grimaced at having given something away so easily.  He swallowed hard, warning himself not to be so reckless again.

"Yeah.  There're some books with hard covers, and I'd like you to stay out of 'em."  The redhead's voice was sharper, with a little irritation this time.

"Why?"  The fighter balked at the question.

"Because…" Kuwabara sweated.  What to say?  "Because, they're… my journals."  Kuwabara sighed, head dropping a little.  _That was smooth_.  Hiei's expression remained unchanged, as though he was expecting something else.  Hiei stared at Kuwabara, and a little confused, Kuwabara stared back.

"What's a journal?"  Hiei inquired tiredly.  He was getting quite bored with this conversation.  Kuwabara's reaction to the question however piqued his interests again, as the redhead blushed slightly.

"They're blank books that humans use to write down thoughts and stuff," Kuwabara explained simply.  The demon's brow furrowed.  Why would the oaf care if he saw one of those?

"Thoughts?  There can't be _that_ many books then," Hiei mused.  His lip quivered up slightly, as Kuwabara turned redder, but this time, from anger.  "What makes you think that _I_ would be interested by what you think day to day?"

Kuwabara looked as though he was about to say something, but stopped himself.  Instead the fighter folded his arms and huffed, looking away.  Hiei contemplated the drawer containing the human's 'journal' for a moment.  Then something occurred to the demon that made him grin.

"Or, maybe _who_ you think about?"  Kuwabara looked mortified, proving Hiei's statement.  Satisfied with his discovery, the demon huffed.

"Don't flatter yourself human," Hiei sneered.  "I doubt there is anything you could write that I would care about."

"Fine," the redhead snorted, stalking across the room to grab his jacket.  "I came up to tell you I'm leaving."  He threw the jacket on angrily and walked back towards the door.  He stopped in front of Hiei.  "If you get hungry or somethin', you can eat whatever's in the fridge.  Don't let my sister cook for you… She sucks at it."  Just before the fighter reached the door, the demon called to him.

"Where are you going?"  Kuwabara paused a moment, but didn't look over at Hiei.

"Out," was all he said, and was gone.

Hiei watched the oaf go with more than a little resentment.  As soon as he heard the door shut, he went back to digging under the bed for more of the journals.  Surprisingly enough, there were quite a few of the hard cover books.  Enough to keep him entertained for a few hours, the demon observed with a satisfied smirk.  He'd never actually agreed not to go through them he thought; shoving what little conscience he had out of the way.

Spreading the multicolored volumes out, he tried to figure out how to tell which ones came first.  "Anything worth hiding," Hiei thought aloud, "Is worth looking at."

            Another chapter coming soon!::  Yes, it's true.  The next chapter will be out by the middle of next week for two reasons.  A:  I'm leaving for California for two weeks and I would be unable to update in a timely fashion.  B:  More sense in this reason- I'm practically finished with it.  I need to upload my changes and reformat it, and it will be up.  Also allowing for whether or not I'll be allowed on the computer…  It just sucks to share a computer…  Anyway thank you for reading, and the next chapter is promised soon!


	6. Perfect Strategies Gone Awry

Author's Note:

Well hello again to everyone…  I MOST sincerely apologize for the uncalled for delay in the posting of this chapter.  As for why it has taken so long, I only have the fact that I was too bored to write it all out.  But in recent months, added stress, and a new love have revived my creative interests… I believe this chapter is rather long, and I hope it answers some of the questions you all have been asking.

Acknowledgements:

To Curry: I appreciated your review very much, and while many of the points I had planned to take care of, there were some that had not even occurred to me.  I always appreciate thoughtful criticisms, and am very grateful for the good review.

On the other hand, please, please understand that while I understand you want for me to update, use of the F-word does nothing to prompt me.  In fact, I have a deep dislike for that and I only use it when I loath someone to the point I'd find it funny if they choked on a chicken bone… I don't wish people to die very often mind you.

I will try from now on to update more frequently… but as I am looking forward to these last few chapters, I don't think that should be a problem.

Thank you all again, and as always please read and review.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters… though I do love it very much and would buy the rights if I could…

Perfect Strategies Gone Awry

            The sun had fallen well below the horizon, and rising in its place the moon kept the world under watchful eye.  The soft, pure white beams were bright enough to see by.  As the moon illuminated the open, shadows slinked away into alleyways, and gathered where the trees stood close together.  Few things ventured out into the light of the full moon.  More open and honest than even daylight, it was not fitting for the dark moods that accompanied those who were driven to wander at late hours.

            And so Kuwabara was no different.  Like the shadows that assembled in the wooded park, he too remained there bored.  He leaned back against one of the taller trees, completely shrouded in darkness.  One would not tell even his substantial bulk from the tree, except his narrow eyes glistened reflecting what little moonlight penetrated the shadow.  Kazuma looked out into the open spaces of the park, where the moonlight cast a surreal glow on all it touched.  It was early summer, but the night was unusually cool.  Kuwabara could smell crispness in the air, and some baser part of him remembered the smell of a heavy rainstorm.  His eyes flickered to the moon from time to time, and to the couples that strolled beneath it, bathed in it's untainted light.  Men and women, boys and girls, the end to nature's greatest design… the couple.  He felt himself frown, though he didn't mean to.  A part of him felt ashamed that he wanted to whitewash another's happiness.  A walk beneath the moonlight was as sweet and romantic gesture as love itself, and he might have thought that, if he didn't envy those couples so much.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

_Reminders of my long lost past_

_Deep I've buried them_

_But it never seems to last_

_It starts with just a little sting_

_But poison memories will follow_

_I can't shake them; no matter how hard I try.  They are dead.  Both dead, but they haunt me… No, it would be easier if they haunted me, then I wouldn't have to be afraid of the dark anymore…_

Hiei frowned slightly.  He didn't know what he had been expecting when he picked up the journals.  Kuwabara's vague description hadn't left him much to expect.  He really didn't fully understand the purpose of these things yet either.  Humans had such a short life span it hardly seemed necessary to jot down events.  Yet, this hadn't been the case thus far.  Kuwabara's 'entries' were mostly thoughts, and obscure references.  Not monosyllabic thoughts as Hiei would have assumed either.  Though not always legible, or correctly spelled, Kuwabara's writings were wildly different from his speech.  The writings were unclear, though deep, and sometimes rather fathomless unless you knew what he was talking about.  For once, Hiei found himself wishing he'd known the human a little better.  That would at least make this less confusing.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            The tall fighter withdrew further into himself, half snarling as one of the couples drew nearer.  Whether they had heard him or not, the pair turned away, leaving him alone once more.  Kuwabara felt restless now, and began to pace in the little confined area of shade.  He didn't go too near the light, because inwardly he feared its accusatory glare.  It was welcoming to bright young couples full of love and romance yes, but for a lone man in the dead of night?  No, this was a night for love, unity, and all the dainty trappings that were customary to romance.  He had none of these things, and probably never would.  He looked out on the now empty clearing.  Benches abandoned, fountain bubbling crystal water without anyone to appreciate it.

            Setting his jaw he paced again, why did he have to be the way he was?  He had not only been robbed of those desires that would allow him to partake in normal society, but he had also been denied those attributes with which to fake his happiness.  There was no disguising the fact that he was aesthetically inferior.  His tall frame looked as though it had been chiseled from a large sturdy block of stone, while the fashion this lifetime was sculpted and willowy.  Small eyes, and pronounced cheeks sliced down into a long jaw.  Full lips and an upturned nose completed this strange ensemble.  His body was that of a fighter not a lover, and the latter was far more desirable in a mate as far as men were concerned.  It was hard to convince anyone, let alone another man that he was not as rough as he appeared.

            Kazuma turned his head slowly, as a soft sound brought his attention back to the previously empty clearing.  Another couple strolled slowly into view; their forms merely reverse shadows at first.  As they slowly drew closer, Kuwabara's eyes widened.  They were a pair of young men, not much older than he was.  They were not just friends, he could tell that right away.  Their gate was not the common foot-dragging amble of most young boys, but slow and deliberate steps as though they had all the time in the world.  They were parallel, and walked instep rather than one or the other competing to lead.  Neither smiled, but neither frowned and though it was silent it was not uncomfortable or awkward.

            The two might pause here and there to examine some small thing and brush lightly against one another.  When they started again, the shorter would lean, or rest his hand on the other's arm.  The lightest of touches, not really clinging, just letting the other know he was there.  This small gesture tugged at something in Kazuma, yet he wasn't sure what, or why.  All he could feel now, was emptiness where there shouldn't be one.  The space normally taken up by bubbling emotions and most private thoughts, felt so barren.  He could hardly remember what it was, though he had felt it sometimes before… many times before.  He thought he had filled his void long ago with friends, rivals, fighting, and school.  He had been too busy with other things until now, made himself too busy to feel the lonely pang within himself until now.  Seeing love in another where it should be in himself left him so hallow he could hardly stand it.  He did not notice the velvety presence of another until it was too late.

            "It is beautiful isn't it?"  A soft voice whispered in his ear.  Kuwabara felt all the hairs on the back of his neck rise at once, or they would have had they not been so effectively gelled in place.  A gentle hand to his right kept the teen from striking out in surprise, instead he jerked away reflexively whirling on his sudden assailant.  Though the darkness was such, that what little moonlight could only tell the barest outline of the figure before him, his spirit sense filled in the rest.  There was no mistaking the double ki of Kurama, no matter how well the demon hid within the human aura.  Since Kurama had turned fox demon in the dark tournament, Kuwabara had been able to distinguish the boy clearly from any other human.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

-Ties That Bind- Gold is for Love 

_Blue is for Sorrow_

_Grey is for Yesterday_

Green's for Tomorrow 

_White means they're Gone_

_And will never return_

_But threads that go backwards_

_Are hard to Discern_

_Silver's for Siblings_

_But Teal's for Twins_

_Orange is for Vengeance_

_Purple for Sins_

_Red shall tie you_

_In destiny's Bind_

_But then all these Threads_

_Might one day Unwind_

_I get the feeling sometimes, that I've got things all wrong.  I can tell that the person I'm meant to be with is near; I can _feel_ it in my bones.  But sometimes I'll be standing right next to her, and that feeling is gone.  And that feeling might come, and there's no one around… or worse when…they are around… and then it only feels stronger_

             The first lines had intrigued Hiei.  Kuwabara had claimed to see the 'red thread' that actually did exist, though threads that bound people were very difficult to see.  Some could see the threads specifically, and even manipulate people's feelings with them.  Hiei read over the colors again, and his eyes lingered on teal.  If any of this was true at all, which Hiei had to question, did that mean that Kuwabara could see his connection to Yukina?  If so, then had he revealed that secret to her?

            Hiei shook the thought from his head.  For the most part the journal was gibberish, and perhaps the twin reference was merely a coincidence.  He couldn't assume that Kuwabara with his limited spirit sense could see the fine threads that held people and ultimately the universe together.  It was a pretty little poem, nothing more.  Hiei's eyes quickly registered the bottom paragraph, and he skipped ahead.  That was merely typical human indecision.  Kuwabara had plenty of little entries like that scattered though his books.

            'He never mentioned any real guesses though,' Hiei mused to himself.  Most of the night had gone this way.  Hiei read with an amazing speed, though he stumbled over some of the odd spelling and chopped logic the human used.  Skipping from entry to entry.  Nothing particularly stuck out as blackmail material, much to Hiei's disappointment.  Though he probably wouldn't use the information if he found it right away.  Kuwabara had plenty of physical and mental shortcomings, but it was difficult to pin the human in a tight situation.  Hiei always appreciated knowing any weaknesses that might one day be to his advantage, especially secret fears and desires.

            For good reasons, Hiei kept his own secrets and desires well concealed.  Someone like him couldn't afford to risk the little set backs that disclosing that information caused.  Last night was a good example of that.  Hiei wasn't weak by any measure, though the fire demon side of his nature tended to let emotions get out of hand.  His temper was deadly if it wasn't checked, and the most likely thing to set it off set around jealousy and humiliation.  Yuusuke and Kurama were lucky that Hiei had trained himself to retreat before reacting.

            Hiei was still angry, most certainly.  But the dark intentions that had once screamed at the back of his mind were now content to simply bark annoyingly.  Anger scraped over wounds hundreds of years old, revealing old grudges and hates as well as any current problems.  It was stressful to sort it all out, and he was grateful he had a place to hide.  Hiei was over the initial shock of betrayal, but loathing and jealousy stilled brewed beneath his calm exterior.  Perhaps the real reason for reading the human's journals was for a distraction.  Reading was a welcome escape from thinking about the things he wanted to do to certain people.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            Kuwabara was instinctually a fighter, first and foremost.  However, he really didn't know what to do in this situation.  Fighting outright wouldn't solve this situation, however satisfying it might end up being.  Kuwabara had no information to go off of here either.  The reason for Kurama's presence, could be any number of motives, several he would probably not understand.  Luckily enough for Kuwabara though, Kurama never lacked something to say to get a conversation going.

            "It's awfully late to be out," the fox commented soothingly.  Kuwabara nodded mentally, so _this _was how it would be.

            "So it is," Kuwabara replied curtly, trying to quickly formulate some kind of plan.  Amazingly Kurama's presence was less intimidating in the dark, but perhaps only because those soul piercing green eyes were hidden.  He was about to say something when Kurama decided to continue.

            "It's not really a night to be out wandering alone," Kurama remarked silkily, "especially hiding out here in the shadows."  The 'tsk' was more implied than stated, but all the same Kuwabara felt he had just been reprimanded like some child.

            "That's true enough I guess," Kuwabara returned gruffly.  "So who are you with?"  Kurama looked slightly taken aback.  "Or are you just a well of random advice?"  Kurama looked less than amused.

            "I detect a tone that says I'm in disfavor with you," the foxes voice had a slight chuckle in it.  And even though the darkness shrouded his form, Kuwabara sensed there was a smirk on that perfect face.

            "It shouldn't surprise you," Kuwabara dared, "you seem to be in 'disfavor' with a lot of people lately."  Kurama took a step back, and Kuwabara had thought he'd one some ground, but the fox merely braced himself against a tree as he laughed.  Kuwabara's eye twitched involuntarily, and he was glad the darkness hid his face as well.  The fighter's lip was curled back in a slight snarl by the time Kurama had regained himself.

            "Kuwabara," the demon in human for straightened, addressing his friend, "it _is_ good to talk to an honest, open person."  The taller was taken aback by the sincerity of those words, and let the fox make the next move.

            "You humans know so little about these things," Kurama sighed, more to himself than to Kuwabara.  That however didn't keep the fighter from becoming indignant.

            "And what are 'these things?'" Kuwabara practically spat the words, daring the fox to say what was implied.  Kurama just stood there for a while, the silence building between them.  Though Kuwabara could not see the demon's face, the head was tilted in such a way that it was obvious Kurama was staring at him.  And there was that tickling feeling running up and down his spine, telling him that he was being seen through.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

Hiei was beginning to find these entries increasingly frustrating.  Not only because they were sloppily written and poorly spelled, but also because he was getting a distinct feeling of empathy with Kuwabara.  He could stand Kuwabara as a human well enough, weak as he might be physically, and though Hiei would never admit out loud often useful and rather resourceful in a tight situation.  

_Never at Peace_

_Blind to this feeling_

_This insignificant sentiment_

_Tugs maddeningly at the corners of my mind_

_Just beyond my reach, just out of sight_

Hiei could not stand however, the strange feelings that fluttered to the surface when thinking of the human.  The neutral ground of mutual abhorrence had dissolved into a sort of shared, though unvoiced respect.  This was over the short term of a few years, what was it now?  Three?  Maybe four?

The demon shook his head as though to clear it.  He didn't like change, he didn't like surprises, life was so much simpler when all you have to do is run and survive.  It had sustained Hiei at one time, but it seemed it just wouldn't do it anymore.  He had fought it at first, but the group had become important to him.  He didn't want to leave it behind to be 'safe' again.  And then there was his sister…  The one thing he had always held precious to him.  The one thing he had kept furthest from him, for both their sakes, and now…

_I know this feeling_

_I see the specter form,_

_I feel the phantom pass through me_

_I can taste the hallow pureness that should be_

_But all things are beyond my grasp_

_Beyond reality_

            Hiei's world had tilted and spun, but it wasn't just recently that this all happened.  The fire demon's world started spinning the moment he was defeated by the human boy Hiei should have easily dispatched.  When he and Kurama were assigned to baby-sit the human and his friend, his life was set on edge.  Then the idiot saved his sister, and perhaps even the fire demon himself in a round-a-bout way.  It left Hiei in an odd feeling of debt, though he would have saved Yukina himself.

            Now, Hiei really didn't want to leave this world.  He had never really noticed how lonely his life had been or rather, he hadn't cared.  He had known nothing besides loneliness, thought he'd deserved it all his life.  Now the demon had people who valued him… for company of all things.  He had value beyond his killing ability, and he didn't want that to go away.  Even if it meant risk of pain, because pain was trivial compared to feeling nothing.  It might even be preferable.

This immense pressure, crushing me 

_All directions, and no escape_

_Two roads to choose_

_One of cold, darkness, oblivion_

_One of warm light_

_The darkness all too near_

_The light unattainable_

            Which brought the demon back to his current situation.  The pain, the embarrassment and the strange and somewhat humbling experience of being harbored in a human's home.  Hiei was confounded by the dullness of the pain and embarrassment he felt.  It was more like a slap in the face… well maybe it was still a stab in the back, but not a twist of the knife at least.  Kurama had acted in self-interest, and since he and the fox were of like minds it shouldn't have come as such a surprise.

            Was that the humiliation?  The fact that Kurama's relationship with Yuusuke had eluded the fire demon, the source of the pain?  Hiei mulled the thought over, but he really didn't think so.  There was something greater, that caused real pain, and while unnamed his heart knew it.  But it's hard to get the heart and the head together to sort things out.

_I stagger onward, upward_

_Following the bright warm light,_

_Shunning the cold, naturally_

_But as I dance between twilight and dawn_

_I become tired_

_The specter light seems farther off,_

_And the darkness comes too easily_

_Too real_

_So I walk on, but my pace slows_

The darkness is catching up…

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            "Your so called love," the fox replied casually.  Kazuma sputtered about to reply.  "I suppose I can't fault you for it though," Kurama contemplated coldly, "your transient existence lends to these little beliefs."

            "What did you just call me?" Kuwabara felt his blood heating up.  Pretty soon this would be a fight whether it was a good idea or not.

            "Transient, means brief, fleeting," Kurama, replied with the hint of amusement in his voice.  The taller boy felt his face go red, and the feeling he was in over his head was starting to surface.

            "So what?"  Kazuma tried desperately to get a hand on the situation again.  "How long we live has nothing to do with love!"

            "I disagree," Kurama replied politely, and again there was that 'tsk, tsk' tone to his voice.  "I assume that to you, love is everlasting," he began.  

            "Of course it is," Kuwabara barked, barely controlling his anger with the pretty redhead.

            "I would ask what _you_ know of an everlasting existence," Kurama's tone had become accusatory.  Kuwabara felt himself taken off guard again.  His face fell, because he'd have to admit that Kurama had him there.

            "Fifty or sixty years is like a drop in the ocean to some one like me," Kurama began softly.  "A life time of love for you is nothing to me," his voice quavered slightly.  Kuwabara sensed a current of emotion running deeper than regret, and began to pick up what was left unsaid.

            "So," Kuwabara spoke softly, "You and Hiei _were_ together at some point then?"

            Kurama scoffed at that, his body shaking slightly from his outburst.  "When I first met Hiei, the closest thing he had to a friend, was an enemy that wasn't dead yet."  The demon actually looked away for a moment, before emerald eyes burned through the darkness, "but _I_ got through to him," he hissed.  

"I offered him love on so many levels, so many times.  I thought we might… I thought…"  Kurama's voice trailed off.  "I don't even remember what I thought anymore," He said at last with a chuckle that didn't disguise his real pain.

            Kuwabara's heart lurched.  He had recently thought of Kurama as too cold and calculating, and too damn sneaky.  He hadn't thought of the hundreds of years that the fox had to endure, and the bitterness it could leave in someone.  Despite his current situation, he reached out to lay a reassuring hand on Kurama's shoulder.  His protective nature getting the better of his common sense.  Kurama snapped to attention sharply, but the human still didn't realize he was in danger of losing a limb any second now.

            "Kuwabara…" Kurama felt something between resentment and gratitude for the show of affection, though he showed neither in his bland tone.  "I don't need your pity," the fox protested blatantly.

            "I don't pity you," Kuwabara stated truthfully, and the shorter redhead began to calm down a little.

            Kurama looked the human over skeptically.  Kuwabara could tell that even in the dark of night.  Those green eyes had a presence of their own when they looked through you, and it seemed to have gotten stronger since the conversation had started.

            "What do you mean?" Kurama asked softly.  There was something in the human's tone, a sort of 'but,' left unsaid as though it could be looked over at the last minute.

            "Why did you choose Yuusuke?" All of the anger Kazuma had felt toward the demon was temporarily subdued.

            "Yuusuke?" Kurama repeated a little confused.

            "Why did you choose him," Kuwabara insisted softly.  A feeling of elation began to surface; _this _was his chance.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

_The writing's on the wall_

_I'm headed for a fall_

_In the mirror I can't see_

_The person looking back at me_

_What lies underneath this skin_

_Perhaps an enemy within_

_Feels like I've just been run over seven times… I'm never drinking with Yuusuke again, damn alcohol tolerance anyway…._

Hiei felt a smirk tug lightly at the edge of his lips.  Some of the things Kuwabara wrote ended up being quite amusing.  The two seemingly unrelated texts complemented each other in a strangely Kuwabara fashion.  The fire demon rethought his last thought, let out a sigh.  Now there were things that he associated not just being human, but being Kuwabara.

It seemed appropriate though.  Kuwabara really wasn't human on many levels.  He seemed timeless, like the rest of them.  But a decade or so would tell the truth of that.  The human body would grow old at what would seem a rapid pace, deteriorate and betray him.  Kuwabara would return to the dust, and in time become insignificant to this world.

Hiei felt a deep sense of regret at the mental image.  It disturbed him that a comrade would be one of the first things he'd lose with time.  He'd never really thought on the human's death before, he seemed rather durable actually.  And it disturbed the demon deeply that he could be moved by such a universally small thing.  But so it was.

He had to admit now if ever that Kuwabara was less of a nuisance than a friend he liked to argue with.  Hiei's mood always improved, if even minutely after a good row.  Perhaps because the human was not afraid to give as well as he got, and Hiei had to admit the redhead was a quick learner if not particularly bright.  Which is why he probably their backbiting never got boring.  

Hiei thought about that for a moment, half-heartedly scanning the book for entries that caught his eye.  Inward thought was a gift of loneliness, though he wasn't used to thinking about other people so much.  Of all the creatures Hiei had ever come across, he'd never met someone as uniquely brave as Kuwabara.  While not the sharpest knife in the drawer, he was at least genuinely strong… for a human.  Through that forward attitude, and fearless nature the human had carved himself a place of value for Hiei, though the demon wasn't sure what place that was.  Since Kuwabara's character was so new to him, he didn't know where to place the new feelings he had.  Again Hiei had to rethink his last thought, and he shook his head.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            "Yuusuke," Kurama whispered.  Kuwabara leaned in to hear, "Yuusuke was… was a means to an end!"  Kurama bit off the last words sharply, and Kuwabara's anger began to simmer again.

            "What?"  Kuwabara's horse voice rose a little, but matched Kurama's for coolness.  "You just…"  

            "Yes, I just thought I could use him for a little while," the fox seemed to gain composure with each cold word, "in order to get Hiei to take me more seriously."  Kuwabara rose a little, and regarded the shorter youth for a little while, not sure exactly what to say.

            "So I went to Hiei and offered to…" Kurama searched for the right translation, "It's like a commitment ceremony," the fox demon finished.

            "Of course he didn't say anything at first," Kurama continued, "he never does."  The fox leaned against a tree again, this time seeming to try and recall something or other.  "So naturally I proceeded and started making plans for meeting Yuusuke and so on."  There was a long pause, and Kuwabara wasn't sure what to do.

            "And Hiei…" Kuwabara began.  He was answered by silence, so he carefully concluded, "Didn't notice?"

            "I…" Kurama's voice was barely a whisper, "I didn't know he actually…"  Kuwabara waited patiently, watching the shorter form tilt his head to look out on the distance.  "I didn't think he would actually care."

            Kuwabara stood there a moment, openly confused.  "I thought that was the whole point," the taller fighter sighed.  Already this was getting a little too complex for him.  'Wants him to care, and at the same time doesn't want him to care,' Kuwabara wracked his brain.  It just didn't make any sense.

            "Yuusuke," Kurama continued, "was so different." 

            The fox could tell even in the dark that the human was confused.  How could he explain to him what it was like?

            "He's so alive, so warm, so open."  Kurama continued to speak, regardless of Kuwabara's desperate attempts to call a timeout in the conversation.  "And I couldn't," he paused.  The demon really didn't want to say more than that, but somehow this was exactly what he wanted.  It felt as though all the pent up energy was pouring out of him as he spoke to Kuwabara.  

            Kuwabara was hit once again with realization, and it took all of his will power to hold back an 'oh.'  And again, Kuwabara didn't know what to say.  He couldn't blame Kurama for being pulled between opposites now, but he couldn't forgive it either.  He couldn't accept that Kurama had been willing to use his best friend as a lure for Hiei, only to leave him out in the cold.  Of course he then had to recognize that he had intended you use Yuusuke to get Kurama out of the picture.  The thought left him sick inside, and he listened sullenly as Kurama continued. 

            "It felt so _good_ just to talk to him," the fox spoke intensely, drawing Kuwabara in.  "To flirt, and in return be chased."  Kuwabara couldn't tell in the darkness whether the fox was trembling or not.  "You have no idea how important, how wanted that makes you feel."

            The fighter didn't say anything, feeling that the important part was just a little further.  "I…" Kurama stammered, "I didn't want it to stop. So," the demon turned his back to the human, "I hid it, from Hiei."  

Kuwabara felt genuine sympathy for the demon fox, in spite of himself.  He could relate to that better than Kurama could ever know.  The fighter sometimes just wished things would fall into place like fairy tales.  For all their sakes.

            "I figured I could break it off before it got to serious," Kurama shook his head, "It was never meant to get that serious."  Kuwabara could hear the distress in his friend's voice, and again it pulled him in spite of his previous anger.  "Things just got so out of hand."

            "Did you ever think," Kuwabara started for the first time in a while, "that they were supposed to?"  Kurama glared over in his direction.

            "Don't act like you know so much," Kurama sighed tiredly.  "I've already told you, destiny and love are just devices you humans made up to make your short lives a little more bearable."

            "I used to think you knew just about everything," said Kuwabara evenly, "but it jus' looks like you don't know a good thing when it bites you in the ass."  The fighter shrugged off the demon's glare.

            "Maybe fate doesn't set things out on a silver platter for us," Kuwabara conceded, "an' maybe it makes things hard sometimes."  He took a step back, ready now to leave the shadows, "but sometimes it takes a bad thing to make you realize a good thing when you have it."

            "It doesn't do any good when you have lost it already," Kurama replied.

            "I think your problem is, you give up way to easily," the taller waved off Kurama's shocked look.  "If something is precious to you, I'd think you'd work to get it back."  Kurama watched the retreating form with intensity, "And with Yuusuke, well… you just lucked out because he likes you that much.  You don't run into that everyday."

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

In this heart there is a room 

_A chamber hidden deep inside_

_A locket where my secrets hide_

_And if you asked me what I'd say_

_After I used the key_

_I'd say it's best to leave it be_

_Leave it be_

_For there are things too real to see_

_I think I figured it out… the answer to the puzzle of true love.  And I don't think I'm happy about that.  Ironic that I devote my life to love, and then don't like my answer…  But I feel really cheated right now… What's the use of knowing what you can never have?  I wish it were Yukina… But she has someone too; I can see the gold between them… why does it hurt?_

There was a twinge of pity in the demon's heart for Kuwabara's belated realization.  Hiei had known that Yukina didn't love the fighter in the way he wanted, though she loved him very much.  He could always make her smile, and the feeling that the two shared some secret that he wasn't aware of surfaced, though he quickly pushed it aside.  As for the rest, Hiei could have told Kuwabara it would go like that though he doubted the human would have believed him.  The fighter sustained himself on Hollywood endings, yet… this was dated over a year ago.

_He's on my mind and in my dreams_

_And all the hints have come together_

_And everything is what it seems_

_Though it doesn't seem quite right_

_After trying so hard to see the truth_

_Valuable lessons: Irony is a bitch_

_Hearts lie_

_The truth is not kind_

But I love him anyway 

A smile tugged at the corners of Hiei's mouth.  He was on the last two books so he was sure that very soon now, he would have the identity of Kuwabara's love and the key to his true weakness.  He flipped through the next few pages, and his eyes scanned for a name.  Near the end of the book he found one, and for the first time in many years Hiei's heart stopped in surprise.

~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~-~~~~~

            Kuwabara returned home a little after midnight, emotionally drained.  Those green eyes still burned in the back of his mind, even though now he was sure Kurama had better things to do than follow him.  The fox demon tended to leave an impression on him for days anyway though, which is probably why Kuwabara never really cared for conversations with him.

            As soon as he walked through the door Kuwabara could sense something was off, though he wasn't quite sure what.  'It's colder than it should be,' the redhead decided, and checked around for his sister.  In her absence he found a note saying she'd gone on a girls night out.  The note came complete with a poorly drawn Shizuru giving him a 'V' sign and a P.S. which read 'don't burn the house down.'  

            Kuwabara had often thought of telling Shizuru she wasn't as funny as she thought she was.  He sighed crumpling the note in his hand and turning the heat up.  The tall fighter dragged himself up the stars, sincerely hoping that Hiei was asleep, or gone, or something so he could just crash for the night.

            He swung the door to his room wide open to see that Hiei was neither asleep, nor gone.  The stoic little demon had however managed to find his own cloths Kuwabara noticed.  The fire demon was sitting in the middle of the bed looking out the window with an odd expression on his face.  Kuwabara got the feeling there was something amiss, and stood in the doorframe not sure whether to enter.

            "Hiei?"

            "When darkness falls, and true night calls?"  The demon began to recite without looking at the human. 'Oh… shit!' Kuwabara didn't need to hear the rest of that entry to know where it was from.  Hiei didn't bother to ramble off the rest, looking over to see the fighter's shocked expression.

            Kuwabara tore his eyes from Hiei to the nightstand where all his journals were stacked neatly in order of color.  His vision blurred, but whether from fear or anger he wasn't sure.  He_ had_ to focus though.  'Green, white, light blue…' the human scanned desperately.  'Red, yellow… thank gods.'  

            Relief flooded Kuwabara's being when he noticed the absence of _that_ book. He hadn't noticed he'd been giving the door jam a death grip until he released his powerful hold and straightened himself.  Things looked pretty bad right now, but as long as that book remained unfound… there was a possibility of salvaging it.  Kuwabara dared to raise his dark eyes to Hiei's red for a moment and flinched under the accusing glare.

            Hiei rose, never taking his eyes from the human, and reached out pulling one of the books from the nightstand.  Kuwabara remained pinned under the fire demons' angry glare, his body refusing to move.

            Hiei brandished the book, and baring his sharp teeth has he spoke.  "How… dare you?"  Hiei's deadly tone sent an icy chill down Kuwabara's spine.  Every muscle in his body seemed to comprehend that extreme annihilation was at hand, and Kuwabara had to scrounge together the nerve not to bolt.

            "How dare you," He demon repeated, "keep such secrets?"  The world stopped spinning, the clocks stopped ticking, the universe itself was on hold.  All while Kazuma's mind raced to find an answer that would placate Hiei.  What could he say?

**Author's note:**

Yes, that's all for this chapter folks!  Even though the first reaction to this ending was less than positive… it was due solely to the fact that they wanted to know what happened next, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.  Actually all of Asha's/Larania Drake's impute was a huge contributing factor to me getting this done.  So a thanks goes to her as well.

I hope you liked this chapter, and I thank you for reading this far everyone!


	7. He Loves Him Not

Author's Note:  BAH!  It's been a long time since the last chapter. And believe it or not I've had writer's block up the kazoo.  I've rewritten this chapter about three times, and none of them were remotely the same.  They even all had different titles.  I feel like I've rushed it, but there's nothing for it really now.  So to all of you who have so loyally followed this fanfiction, I sincerely hope you enjoy its conclusion.  I will be working on many more, hopefully speedier Kuwa/Hiei fics.  I try to learn from my mistakes, and I truly appreciate all who have endured them.

He Loves Him Not

            The time locked world felt as tough it would crash around the human at any moment.  Still the answers that he so desperately needed escaped him.  Careful planning and consideration were thrown aside due to this new development, which left the fighter only his natural defenses.  Honesty and pride.  As he considered the fact that the two contradicted each other in this particular situation, he had to settle for one.  And that one of course, was pride.

            "Those secrets were mine to keep, you little sneak!"  Kuwabara decided that anger was the best way to drown out panic.  "I told you not to go through them!  I said-"

            "That's not the point," Hiei interrupted heatedly.  "The point is, that for over a year you've been lying!  And not just to me, to everyone!"  Hiei had the intense urge to grind the human before him beneath his boot.  "Of all the-"

            "I never lied to anyone," Kuwabara defended himself indignantly.  At Hiei's death glare he admitted, "I didn't say some things."

            "It's the same thing!"  Hiei tried to crush the redhead's argument.  Though, the human was excellent at being stubborn if nothing else.

            "Is not!"  Kuwabara protested shrilly.  Now his honor was on the line.  If he had time to process extra thought, he would have berated the very thought of playing mind games.  But as it was, he had to volley between keeping up with Hiei, and slowing the demon down.  

            "Yes it is!"  Hiei barked louder this time.

            "No it ain't!"  The redhead shrilled back, louder still.

            "It is!"  

            "It ain't!"  Kuwabara could have gone on forever in this manner; after all he figured Hiei's lungs had to give out some time.  Hiei however, quickly grew tired of the childish antics and changed footing.

            "Then you had no idea about Yuusuke and Kurama?"  Unfortunately for the human this was usually where his lack of tact caught up with him.

            "Not until you told me," Kuwabara answered quickly.  The redhead knew he couldn't win if he stayed on the defensive, but he didn't know how to keep up with Hiei's lightning pace.

            "Then you helped me out of the goodness of your heart."  Hiei's statement was laced with cold venom and careful sarcasm.  Even Kuwabara could tell this trap when he saw it.

            "I'm always ready to help a teammate," the human answered carefully but truthfully.  He knew that the demon weighed each word for the slightest hint that he might be lying.

            "But you like me." Hiei pointed out firmly.

            "I like everyone," Kuwabara replied in an almost innocent tone.  Hiei let out a snort that might have been a disguised laugh.  The taller boy was not about to drop his guard now however.

            "You like me best," Hiei's tone was bordering anger again.  He would not be made to say that Kuwabara loved him.

            "I don't know," the redhead mused, Hiei raised an eyebrow at the thoughtful tone.  "Yuusuke is more fun."  Kuwabara would have laughed at his own joke, had there not been the small matter of a katana at his throat.  His would-be smile was dropped, and he half snarled at the threat.

            "I won't have this passed of as a game, idiot," Hiei's voice had again a poisonous quality, and Kuwabara felt a chill run down his spine.  Things slowed down again and a plan tugged at the edge of the redhead's mind.  Though he wasn't exactly sure that it was a good plan, it was the only one he had.  All it required was courage and a little luck.

            Kazuma reached up, and placed his finger to the blade, just where it reached his throat.  He gently pressed there, pushing the blade away slowly.  Hiei watched with a stunned look on his face, as blood trickled down the sword, despite the lack of pressure the human was using.  Once the blade was an inch or two away from his throat, the taller boy cautiously stepped out of Hiei's current range.

            Hiei was more amazed than distressed by the gesture.  The oaf was not far out of his reach if necessary, but the move was daring at least.

            "This is a game Hiei," Kuwabara tried to remain calm; though he was almost positive that anxiety crept into his voice.  "Just as life is, so is love."  Hiei's face fell again into its normal stone-like expression.

            "If that's so," Hiei stated blandly, "then what are the rules?"  Hiei Jumped down and paced around the taller boy.  This made the redhead increasingly nervous, though he would have rather not admitted it.  

            "The rules are. unwritten," Kuwabara answered unsurely.  It seemed like one of those rhetorical questions, and he was never good at that.  "But everyone knows them," he added quickly.

            "So it would seem," The fire demon mused again, still pacing about the redhead.  "Since even you appear to know them."  When Hiei got no response from the flustered human he continued.

            "If they aren't written, then where are they?"  Hiei inquired.  

            "In the heart," Kuwabara said finally.  The shorter laughed mirthlessly at that.

            "Is that what I lack?"  Hiei threw a grin at the human that was all too sarcastic for being wordless.  "If you have no heart, then how do you love?"

            "You have a heart," Kuwabara protested.  The small demon paused, as though about to say something, but the human continued.  "You just keep it at arm's length, just like everything else in your life."

            "You don't want to know what's in my heart," Hiei spat coldly, unable to deny the human's words.

            "Yes I do Hiei!" The taller boy cried out before he even heard his words.  He blushed deeply at the incredulous look from the demon.  "I want to know everything about you."

            Hiei's face faltered with something Kuwabara had not seen before, but it was gone in a flash and replaced by the usual unyielding exterior.  There was a long silence as both digested what had just been said.  This situation required a whole new kind of approach, though neither of them had the patients for propriety right now.

            "What do you think of me now?" Hiei asked, finally breaking the silence.  "What you know of me, what do you think of that?"

            "I can't say I know a whole bunch of facts on you or anything," Kuwabara admitted, somewhat reluctantly.  "All I can tell you is how."  Kuwabara trailed off for a moment, not sure how to word it correctly.  Hiei waited patiently again, and looked very much like he could stay there forever waiting for the answer.  "How I feel about you, when you're around."  The human finally finished.

            Hiei said nothing, nor did his visage change.  He was waiting.

            "When we're on missions," Kuwabara began, "I sense an understanding of honor between us, if not loyalty."  The human felt knots forming in his stomach.  Men weren't made to talk about their feelings like this.  It was supposed to go unsaid, damn it!

            "And when we're around Yukina, I sense a goodness in you."  Kuwabara glanced at the still unmoving demon.  "The love that you feel for her, and hide."  The human thought he saw an eye twitch, but now the fire demon gave no other sign that he was actually listening.  Kuwabara only received an intense stare, as though Hiei could see right into his heart.

            Again there was a long pause, as the fighter prepared to take his most dangerous step yet.  "And I sense a burden on you," the human stated carefully.  "One that hurts you all the time, non-stop."  Kazuma ran a cold hand along the back of his neck nervously.

            "I want to help you," Kuwabara said even more cautiously.  "I want to shoulder some of the pain for you, because it's crushing everything I. I admire about you."  The silence following his final statement threatened to drown the human.  He suffered through it, awaiting the demon's next move.

            "And?" Hiei barked into the darkness, almost impatiently.

            "And." Kuwabara thought for a moment.  "I can't say I know more than that, and not lie."  The human's shoulders sunk with the reluctant admittance.  For the first time however, Hiei's facial expression changed from a blank stare, to an almost thoughtful half grin.

            The demon walked past the redhead silently, stopping at the window.  "We will continue this later, human," Hiei stated coolly, before disappearing.

            Kuwabara was exhausted, cold and alone.  He didn't know whether the demon's last words were a good sign or a bad one.  The day had been too damn eventful to really fret over either possibility, so with an exasperated sigh he threw himself down on his bed and decided to just be patient and wait.

            Not that it was easy to be patient.  Humans decide that the most impossible things to comprehend are the ones they should try to figure out.  As if thinking about the impossibilities, and determining probable outcomes had any affect on the end result of those impossibilities.  Humans also find it somewhat annoying that in most situations; fate and destiny pay little head to what they think.  

Kuwabara tried to convince himself that it was fine if Hiei rejected him.  He'd been wrong before, and he couldn't blame the demon for turning him away.  There would be no hard feelings on either side, and they would go on like nothing ever happened.  As if any of those thoughts could possibly convince his heart that it wouldn't hurt to be turned aside.  Kuwabara always had a hard time being dishonest with himself anyway.  He could be conveniently ignorant of his true feelings for an eternity, but out and out lying just wasn't for him.

            The window was still open from Hiei's departure, and cool air filled the small room.  Kuwabara rolled onto his stomach and paid no mind to it.  The cold air didn't bother him nearly as much as the lingering scent of Hiei.  Though the cinnamon like aroma was faint, Kuwabara knew it was there.  The specter sent brought images of the absent male back to him.  He knew it was probably bad for his whole 'no hard feelings' theory to continue along like this.  No matter how much he told himself that dwelling on Hiei was bad for him, he was loath to leave that spot.

            Kuwabara then drifted into a reluctant sleep.  Dreams that first shifted just on the lightest formation of shapes and shadows, and slowly evolved into recognizable symbols.  The dreams flowed out of order for what seemed like hours, before finally settling into one.  His favorite dream of Hiei curled against his chest, dark head resting just below the human's chin.  Just warm and comfortable, drifting in and out of sleep.  He could spend an eternity like that.

            However eternity was not his.  The tender dream was interrupted by unnatural cold.  The cold invaded and destroyed the human's most beloved delusion.  Shifting onto his side with a groan, Kuwabara eyed the guilty party.  The window that was still open, letting cool wind enter his room.  Reluctantly pushing himself up from the bed, the human clumsily ambled over to the pane and shut it completely before staggering back to his spot.  

            Muttering incoherent curses to himself, Kuwabara tried to settle back in, and pick up the dream where it had left off.  Nagging doubts and fears continued to plague him, and try as he might he could not put them aside.  Not even for his dream.

            Hiei's retreat from the conversation was nothing less than uncharacteristic.  The demon thought as quickly as he moved, and normally he did not come against a problem to which he didn't find an immediate solution.  Hiei never made a decision that he didn't think through first. In fact he usually thought it through twice.  It wasn't by chance that he usually arrived at the answer that best suited him so swiftly, it was just quick logic.

            This was one of those rare occasions that Hiei had gotten himself into a situation without knowing exactly how it would turn out.  Dealing with humans was notorious for having this affect.  You could be sure that no matter how you tried to control the situation, if a human was involved it would not turn out as planned.  The tall redhead seemed to be the very embodiment of this chaotic factor, and that did not help things.

            The fire demon alighted in a tree several miles from Kuwabara's residence.  Proximity was always a factor when it came to making decisions like this.  Despite his negative thoughts, Hiei cast a curious glance back over his shoulder.  This was a difficult, but interesting situation.  The fact that he was again dealing with a would-be lover, made things all the more complex.  The fact that Hiei found himself actually considering the proposal, made it interesting.

            There was precious little in the world that amused Hiei, and the dark haired demon had to admit that Kuwabara definitely amused him.  The small swordsman frowned at that thought.  Was it only amusement he felt toward the human?  Indeed, had he not been musing over the values of the human prior to his surprising discovery?  Hiei waged an internal war over that thought.  There were many virtues in the human, but were they enough to counter all the shortcomings?  Could the two of them, possibly get along in a relationship?

            Hiei shook his head, as though the action would scatter the troublesome thoughts.  He had ignored the human for too long to come up with a certain answer.  All things labeled 'before journals' were insufficient, and the data with in the journals was also unsatisfactory.  The only way to correct the lack of knowledge was to study Kuwabara first hand, which was impossible under the current circumstances.  He couldn't very well study the human, now that all this had surfaced.

            The time was out of joint now.  He had moved prematurely, with the full intention of rejecting the human's advances.  He was outraged at the time, his pride wounded by being caught in a fool's trap.  Hiei was no stranger to the ulterior motives the human had, he simply had never expected them from Kuwabara.  It made him wonder how long he would have gone one without knowing if he had not read those books.  All answers were not encouraging.

            Now he had laid out the truth between them, and Kuwabara had bravely defended his words.  There was no escaping resolution, because as he had left the demon himself had promised to finish what they had started.  They smaller boy sunk down on the branch with a defeated sigh.  How had things gone so wrong in such a short amount of time?

            Rethinking that thought, Hiei shook his head.  Things weren't wrong, just unexpected.  Part of him argued that the two were the same, but the other part had to admit that 'unexpected' things happened when you spent too much time in the human world.  He tried to reason that it wasn't all bad.  There were no promises between them yet, nothing that meant he couldn't avoid their next conversation for a little while.  He'd never said when they would continue, just that they would later.

            'Later,' Hiei decided was a good word, and he would take full advantage of the privileges it gave him.

*Weeks later*

            And so it was, that weeks later Kuwabara found himself laying awake at night waiting for Hiei to return.  He should really have been sleeping, since school was going to start again very soon.  Yet, something told him that if Hiei were to come back, he would come at night.  It was just a Hiei sort of thing.

            Shizuru had put up with his behavior for about a week before giving him flack for it.  She was a sweet kid, really.  Took good care of him, and looked out for him and all.  She however, had some one to love and hold at night.  He became a little angry at that thought, as he always did.  Yukina was supposed to be his, and he couldn't help but feel that he had been cheated out of her.  But then, his anger never lasted for too long, because Yukina was happy, and that's all that really mattered to him.  His honor as a gentleman, wouldn't allow him to come between her and her happiness.

            There was a knock on the door that broke him out of his reverie.  "Go away!" He barked sourly at it.  He wasn't in the mood to be rolled around by his older sister right now.

            "Kazuma?"  The soft voice on the other side of the door ventured.  As Kuwabara bolted up, he mentally kicked himself.  He rushed over to the door.

            "Yukina," he opened the door to find the teal haired little ice maiden standing on the other side.  She was holding a plate of what resembled food.  The look on her face could have broken his heart.

            "You didn't eat," Yukina stammered obviously a little embarrassed.  She shoved the plate of food at him, "So I made you dinner."  The redhead took the plate with a well-rehearsed smile.  This cheered the koorime up some.

            "Thank you, Yukina," he said sincerely.  He looked down at his 'dinner,' and grimaced inwardly.  The duties of a gentleman.  He retreated into his room, and to his surprise the young ice maiden followed him.  She sat down on the bed next to him, as he poked at what could have been the remains of an unfortunate potato.

            "You hardly ever eat with us anymore," Yukina began unsurely.  The redhead looked at her dumbly before he realized what was going on.  He knew Shizuru was low, but sending Yukina in to make him feel bad.

            "Shizuru sent you in here?"  He asked, shoving down the food.  He was angry enough to where it could have been gourmet, and it would have tasted like ash in his mouth.  

            "She's worried about you," the teal haired girl admitted.  "How is it?"  She asked expectantly as he shoveled the food down.  He looked up at her startled by the sudden question.

            "Wonderful," he lied easily.  He always ate all the food she cooked, and always praised her no matter what.  And still she looked at him like a younger brother.  He supposed that was all right, since it wouldn't do to fight his sister over her.

            "You're always so nice to me, Kazuma," she laughed.  It wasn't an unkind laugh, but an almost knowing one.  "I care about you too you know," she said, her smile melting away his anger.

            "I just haven't really been hungry lately," he murmured, poking at what remained of the dish.

            "Because you've been thinking about something else," she finished for him.  

            "Shizuru needs to mind her own business," Kuwabara growled making a face.  The whole damn world didn't need to know about his love life.

            "I think you are very much her business," the little ice maiden said seriously.  Her sudden sobering tone caught the redhead off guard, and he fond himself looking into wide crimson eyes.  They weren't cold and wary like Hiei's.  Yukina's eyes glowed with deep and loving warmth.

            "I know if it were my brother," she continued, knowing fully her sway over the human boy, "I would be worried."

            "I am your brother," he teased, the corners of his lips twitched in an attempted smile.

            "Almost," she said hugging him as best she could in her awkward position.  She stood then, turning to fix him with a reflective gaze.  "My brother is the cause of all this though, isn't he?"  It was more of a statement than a question.  

            "I really can't understand him sometimes," she said, putting her hands on her hips.  Kuwabara regarded her with a restrained look.  All he could do was listen politely to the young demon.  "He's so lucky to have such wonderful friends."

            "I don't really think he sees us that way," Kuwabara interjected softly.  He knew about Yukina and Hiei's relationship.  It was one of the first secrets Yukina had shared with him while they had been dating.  It had been a shock to the redhead at first, but slowly he began to see the resemblance between them.  They were like two sides of the same coin, and he loved them both.

            He was a fool, but in his defense, Yukina was impossible not to love.  Her sweet and forgiving nature, and delicate appearance was irresistible.  She was the perfect person to protect, and that was what Kuwabara dedicated himself to.  With Hiei, well he was just a fool.  He'd fallen in love with a demon that had the personality of a wounded tiger.  He was impossibly dangerous to get close to, even if only to heal that wound.

            "Yes, I suppose your right," Yukina sighed sadly.  She cared deeply for her older brother, and Kuwabara felt for her.

*Days Later*

            Hiei perched in a tree across the street from the Kuwabara household.  He waited patiently for the females to vacate the premises.  They were supposed to have left over an hour ago, but the girls kept remembering things that needed to be done.  It was taking forever.  Finally his sister managed to drag the older Kuwabara sibling out of the house, so they could go out with Keiko and Botan.

            The fire demon had risked a great deal to get that information, and now jumped at his only chance to have the human to himself again.  As soon as their car sped out of sight, he practically flew across the street.  

            The window was open, just as he expected it to be.  Guilt for not returning sooner briefly fluttered in the demon's mind before being shoved aside.  The human lay back in bed, again writing in one of his little books.  A small smirk tugged at the corners of the fire demon's mouth.  Some people never learned.  Without waiting to be noticed, Hiei slid the window farther back, and dropped into the room.

            Kuwabara started at the sound of the intruder, and froze when he saw who it was.  Hiei simply stood there, his stoic expression carefully held as the human looked at him expectantly.  When it was obvious that Kazuma wouldn't move with out some kind of provocation, Hiei made the first move.

            In a motion that gave his name 'flying shadow' true credit, he dashed to where the redhead was, took his book, and then jumped out of reach before the boy could react.  Hiei held the little blue volume with a bemused look on his face.  Kuwabara managed an indignant growl, but curiosity was quickly taking over.  Satisfied with having the human's full attention, Hiei wasted no more time.

            "I think you're a fool," Hiei began immediately.  He tossed the book aside, "And I don't believe in true love."  The latter was stated far more coldly, as though they were words far removed from his heart.  "That is my warning."  Kuwabara stared stunned by the last statement.  Was that supposed to be the proposition?

            "I can live with that," the redhead replied, a trace of a grin lighting his face.  Hiei took a step closer, albeit cautiously.

            "Why?"  The question was nearly accusatory.  Why after all this time could some one just do this?

            "Because you're wrong," the human said casually, "and I'm not."  His grin became a full-fledged smile.  A very annoying full-fledged smile at that.  Hiei drew closer, almost within range of physical contact.  He knew he must look finicky, but the human's easy attitude was a little alarming.  The demon didn't say anything, but his feelings must have been clear enough for the human to pick up.

            "I have some time to convince you, I think."  The redhead soothed carefully.  "And I won't give up 'till you agree with me anyway."  The demon rolled his eyes at that, and gave a snort for good measure.  Kuwabara reached out carefully, not wholly sure of their agreement.

            Hiei stepped into the cautious caress, and allowed himself to be drawn into the larger boy's embrace.  So the deal was struck, and the contract was written without words.  Because both boys knew that words where cheap, and that no bond could be made between them on something so insubstantial.

The end. or is it? 

*Start Music*

Author's note:  I could be persuaded to write a lemon for all you, but there is a warning that I feel I owe you before you ask.  I'm terrible at writing lemons.  I know that practice makes perfect and all, but seriously.  I wanted to leave it up to you readers out there, since ultimately you'll be suffering through it.


End file.
